CorticalChaos
17th November 2009 - 12:42 AM
If you could change the biological architecture of the human body any way you wish, how would you modify it? (ie, number of limbs, reproduction strategy, new organs etc~)
here's what i would do:
1. add a secondary respiratory system for breathing underwater (gills on the neck?)
2. enable the skin to perform photosynthesis
3. increase the number of variations in hair color (green, blue and purple hair)
4. enable infrared vision
5. webbed feet
6. enable asexual reproduction (hermaphrodites?)
boit
26th March 2010 - 09:32 AM
1. SCUBA. 2. Vitamin D synthesis, i know this isn't photosynthesis but i'd rather taste food with my tongue. 3. Hair dyes, wigs. 4. Active and passive infrared night vision on ebay, take your pick. 5. Frog man outfit. 6. Do you badly need to $@£€¥ yourself?
Matador
26th March 2010 - 10:08 AM
Dual heart, kinda like the good old Doctor you know who
Possibly engineer our selves to be also physically smaller, like half the size.
boit
26th March 2010 - 12:30 PM
I thought girls liked us tall, dark and handsome. seems the midgets have been giving us stiff competition lately, i watched just for laughs, gags, recentlly, a parody of now apparenty real happenings. the best i'll rather engineer is to copy the duck bill platypus, that is egg laying. this will liberate women considerably. oh! we already have surrogate mothers.
Matador
26th March 2010 - 01:57 PM
Probably wouldn't work trying to engineer humans smaller, as their brain capacity would also be reduced unfortunately.
w6nrw
26th March 2010 - 03:55 PM
Hey Matador--
Re: 'Possibly engineer our selves to be also physically smaller, like half the size.'
Rational?
Of course, while you are at it, brain size could be retained or expanded, so
no problem there.
Matador
26th March 2010 - 04:03 PM
You would still need an inrcease in mass in organ capacity to sustain the blood flow and nutrients necesary, so a large heart, liver lungs etc. would be needed, so i doubt that this would be overall any beneficial.
boit
26th March 2010 - 04:13 PM
pumping blood to the head is considerably easier if one is short. small bodies and big brain may necessitate us going back to the sea. for reasons i can't fathom, aliens are portrayed with big heads and small bodies. is it issue of disuse atrophy? with telepathic prosthesis we may just get there.
Matador
26th March 2010 - 04:20 PM
Well, you body physiology would definetely need to change.
Aliens may come from a planet with a lighter gravity, therefore not needing the muscles to support a large head etc.

like in your water example.
Going back to the sea though would be a step backwards me-thinks.
boit
26th March 2010 - 04:43 PM
Going back to the sea maybe a plausible alternative to suspended animation. if we can engineer ourselves to be like jellyfish, the first and last wish of the original poster will be granted. we may then return back to ourselve in say around 3010 C.E. as for all the clones, let's just say we'll legalize russian roulete in the sea. we'll be well over the five mile limit, right?
Matador
26th March 2010 - 05:24 PM
lol.. i can only understand half of that

But i see your point about the suspended animation/jellyfish type body. I still see the problem of limited brain size though.
Increased lifespan should is something we should be aiming for as well. A large body will have more cells so is likely to live longer (compare jellyfish to an elephant).
boit
26th March 2010 - 06:50 PM
Jelly fish, at least a particular species are immortal. They just divide like you wake up one day and you've a clone brother/son by your side. If your girlfriends opt for suspended animation, you may have to play musical chairs at the end of the period to decide who claims the babe. To pre empt this, russian roulette may come in handy, just shoot 'em.
Kaeru
26th March 2010 - 08:33 PM
What?
boit
27th March 2010 - 03:49 AM
QUOTE (Kaeru+Mar 26 2010, 08:33 PM)
What?
imagine a matter transmitter is possible, let's call it a teleporter as is popularly known. Now imagine that instead of destroying the original body it keeps both in existance. Now were you both to return home, who should your wife embrace?
Kaeru
27th March 2010 - 06:54 PM
Whoever has the biggest paycheck?
boit
28th March 2010 - 02:06 AM
Ha ha ha. How very true. Wise is the poor guy who marries a rich woman. He'll know for sure it is him that is loved. Not his wallet.
Matador
28th March 2010 - 02:22 AM
Wise indeed, but as the topic goes, i do not think you can biologically engineer wisdom
Foghorn Leghorn
28th March 2010 - 02:31 AM
Some totally insane spammer will soon post - give him hell .... as I'm tippy-toeing to beddy-byes. (gone 02:00 here UK) ..... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz .... trump ..... drool etc.
PhysOrg scientific forums are totally dedicated to science, physics, and technology. Besides topical forums such as nanotechnology, quantum physics, silicon and III-V technology, applied physics, materials, space and others, you can also join our news and publications discussions. We also provide an off-topic forum category. If you need specific help on a scientific problem or have a question related to physics or technology, visit the PhysOrg Forums. Here you’ll find experts from various fields online every day.
To quit out of "lo-fi" mode and return to the regular forums, please click
here.